Earth Hour 2011 -- But What About 'Me' Time?

Tonight is the night, people. Earth Hour 2011! Millions of people in thousands of cities across the globe shut off their lights for one hour -- 8:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, March 26, 2011 -- in a glorious stand against climate change on our shared planet! 2011 will be the fifth year of Earth Hour, and 2010 was the biggest Earth Hour ever, with 128 countries and territories joining the global display of climate action.

In other words, the pressure's on to turn the lights out, folks. So I guess it might be wrong for me to ask for a hour change right now -- because 8:30 p.m. on a Saturday is, well, 'ME' time. I mean seriously, whoever came up with 8:30 p.m. obviously isn't a mom.

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I don't know about any of you, but by 8:30 p.m. on a stormy Saturday, I'm spent. It's a day chalk full of yelling (mine) about not wrestling or playing light sabers in the house. There is also a ton of sibling rivalry intervention -- "Stop copying your brother right now! Stop copying me now! Stop it!" It's exhausting. The kids are stir crazy, I'm stir crazy, and there are not enough craft projects and kid movies in the world to save you from the lunacy. Bedtime and the hour after are your savior.

By 8:30 p.m., all mama wants is quiet and her laptop and the newest episode of 30 Rock to make me giggle and help to regain my sanity before I slunk into sleep. And no, an hour in the dark isn't going to cut it. Only the very strong can handle that bold a transition -- from day of frenzied parenting to dead, dark silence. I'm not made of steel, you know? I'd rather give up meat for a month, shop only at thrift stores for two months or give up plastic packaging for 6 months in honor of our planet! Anything!